As the bird play in Studio Blue had dwindled recently, we wondered if opening up the area where our birds are kept might encourage the children to engage in a different way. We removed the large table and offered new materials.
Johann returns to this space later in the morning to explore with his bird. Intrigued by the many holes in the table, Johann pushes his bird through each of the holes with little effort. When he comes to the smallest hole in the table, however, it seems like his bird is too big and will not fit through. Johann is determined and he tries to figure it out...
Jamie joins us at the table. Diane tells Jamie that Johann figured out how to get his bird through the tiny hole. Intrigued, Jamie wants to try it too.
Jamie: I can! I gonna.
Jamie reaches for the nearest bird and gives it a try.
Johann stays right with Jamie, offering tips and encouragement to him as he works on getting the bird through the tiny hole.
Ellie, Stella and Wesley come over to see what is happening.
Jamie: Hey, we’ve got all of the birds…where’s my bird?
Jamie goes off to the block area to find his bird.
Mark: You found out that your birds fit in those bowls.
(Ellie kisses her bird.)
Stella takes her bird over to the easel with mirrors. She holds her bird up to the mirror with one hand and draws around it with the other hand.
One morning, Chris draws on his clipboard. He comes over and tells Diane,
Look what I wrote down for my bird. I wrote my birds mom will come back.
Chris then walks over to show Mark.
Mark, I wrote my birds mama come back. I wrote this down for my bird.
How lovely that Chris is able to express this on his clipboard and then shares this with both of his teachers. In “writing down his birds words”, he is demonstrating trust in this practice; a practice that became so important for Chris in the beginning weeks of school when he was missing his mom and dad.
From September 2018
